21 Productivity Tips for Consultants - Part 2

In the second part of this article we will complete the 21 Productivity Tips for Consultants.

11. It's Not About Time:

One day of useful work is better than a week full of non-productive tasks. Success is not limited to the amount of time you spend working, what really matters is the results. If you are driving yourself to exhaustion from working long hours and don't feel that this offers continuity to your work, stop doing that. I start early and can get out of work at 2 pm if I want to, I may work till 5 pm but those days of 10-12 working hours are long gone and so should you! This does not mean the time when you launch a new project or an important project, just that you should not measure the success of the work by the length of hours you work, but by the results that you generate.

I don't know why this is happening to me, but in fact when I get out of my office to somewhere else, it makes me more precise and focused and brings me back to my path.

12. Do Less Work but Focus:

The long list of tasks that need to be accomplished may be bad for your health. Instead, choose activities that help you get from your point to the point you want in the shortest possible time. This is similar to the previous point where it is not necessary for success the number of activities you do, but the important thing is to do the most important work with the required quality and which help you expand your business forward. This takes us to the next point

13. Make Sales:

I have said this before, as consultants, we are not in business consulting, but in marketing. If you do not have clients, you cannot do any consulting! You must sell first. If you want more clients, you have to set a large part of your week doing marketing and sales. Leave every activity or action you do that does not directly help you get more clients and more sales. Other things come later.

14. Drink More Water:

Several health studies have shown that more water gives you more energy. Water itself does not contain calories. It has been said that if you want to be more productive and get more done, you should drink more water. I have a glass of water by my side all day and whenever I finish drinking it, I fill it up and drink the next one. You will not only feel more energetic but also healthier.

15. Change Places:

I've written four books, mostly in the cafe. I don't know why this is happening to me, but actually when I get out of my office to somewhere else, it makes me more precise and focused and brings me back to my path maybe because there are a few distractions. I'm not sure, but I know for sure that other people who are successful in their businesses, leaders and innovators live the same result. If you haven't tried it, do it even if it's only once a week or every two weeks to start with. It takes me to a higher level of productivity and focus.

16. Organizing Meetings:

Meetings can last anywhere from an hour planned to two or three hours.  Don't let this happen because it's rarely necessary. In fact, most meetings, if they're focused, won't take more than 30 minutes. If you have a clear agenda for what needs to be addressed, keep the side conversation to a minimum, this will not make your clients value your orders in you, but rather efficiency. If you let meetings go chaotic, you will find yourself losing valuable time. If you are a person who has a lot of in-person meetings, this will add to more time wasting if you are not careful.

17. Email Filtering:

Most email applications have email filtering features. For example, you can set up a filter that will send a message coming from someone to a folder that you specify. After you set these filters, you will only leave important messages coming to the mailbox, allowing you to spend a shorter time in the mailbox. You can check your other folders when you get some free time, and you will feel happy that you will not miss something essential.

18. Unsubscribe from the Message List:

Do you want to take back control of your mailbox and control wasted time? Take a look at all mailing lists and unsubscribe from those lists that don't add value to your life. When I started with this advice, I unsubscribed myself from 20-30 mailing lists and I highly encourage you to do so. If you are not getting a (great) value then unsubscribe.

19. Unfollow/ Unsubscribe Social Media Networks:

As in the previous advice, you should unsubscribe from the mailing list of social networks, and if you have a lot of friends and followers, this advice will make you feel comfortable. Go to the list of Facebook and Twitter subscriptions and unfollow (or unsubscribe) from pages and people that do not add value to you. You will get fewer updates from people and more updates that are important and useful to you.

20. Use the Calendar Services:

The biggest waste of our time is trying to fix a day and time for a meeting or a phone call, you know what I mean right? From here, services such as ScheduleOnce and Time Trade were launched. These services allow you to communicate with your own calendar and set the available time when you can take a meeting or make calls, and then if someone wants to have a conversation with you or have a meeting with you, you can simply send your calendar schedule (which is updated automatically). This will eliminate the argument and will not only save you time, but also help you get more meetings and calls you want.

21. Take Advantage of Your Transportation:

If you need to commute from your home to your office or to pick up your kids from school, make the most of that time by listening to recorded books, audio courses, or personal development recordings instead of news or music all the time. You can turn your commute into educational time that takes your expertise and education to a higher level. There are many services that provide audiobooks.